The first thing 9 out of 10 people who walk into my studio say to me is: “I am not photogenic”.

Over the past 20 years I have learned to listen and nod in agreement. Young or old, thin or full figure, bold or a full head of curls – it doesn’t matter. Pretty much all of us think we are not photogenic.

When I was 16 I had the great fortune of getting cast on the Israeli version of Glee/Saved by the bell television show. I loved acting and was so excited to be on the show. My character on the show had all kinds of issues she was dealing with, and so in most episodes I would deliver these heartbreaking speeches with a serious face while tearing up. I still remember the day all that changed. It was when the writer of the show came to visit the set while we were filming. He was very cute, but cuteness aside – he knew TV, and I valued his opinion. So after capturing on film yet another heartbreaking tale by my character which I delivered flawlessly, tears and serious face and all, I walked up to him and asked: “what do you think?” The writer’s reply was: “Great as always, Rinat!”. But as I turned to walk away he added, almost as a side note: “You look much prettier when you smile”. That shocked me. I just never thought of that before. I went back on set for another take of that scene, and I’m going to give you one guess as to what you think changed from the previous takes…yes, you got it – I delivered the complete heart-wrenching speech – with a big smile on my face! To this day, if I ever come across this scene (they still show it on re-runs in Israel) I laugh to myself. The things we do to look good in front of the camera.

Me, 16 years old on the Israeli TV show, the take BEFORE I learned that I apparently look prettier when I smile

Yes, we all want to look our best in front of the camera. But don’t we anyway?

The dictionary definition of Photogenic is:”Looking attractive in photographs or on film“. It’s not “a person with a nose too big for his face” or “a young lady with braces”. So why, oh why have we decided we are not photogenic? Are we not attractive? In who’s opinion? Let me go ahead and answer these questions collectively: Of course we are ALL attractive. Because attractiveness is not about missing or having a specific feature.

It’s about how we feel. Research shows that men and women rate confidence as a very attractive trait (Buunk, Dijkstra, Fetchenhauer, & Kenrick, 2002). Are you hearing this? I said confidence. Not blue eyes. Not slender arms. Confidence. When we are happy in our own skin – it shows – In life and on camera, because, and this old saying is correct – the camera doesn’t lie.

So please remember that next time you come into my photography studio for your close up. When my clients walk in, after they tell me they are not photogenic, and I quietly nod, I ask them: “Have you ever had a photo taken of you that you liked?” They usually look surprised when I ask that, raise their eyebrows and say “sure”. When I ask for more details about that shot, I usually find out they were feeling particularly good about themselves the day that photo was taken. Confidence it is then.

My clients come to me because they know I have the knowledge and experience to help them feel and look good during the portrait session in front of the camera – which will translate into great portraits.

The problem starts when you are in front of a non-professional photographer holding a camera – the smartphone wanna be button clicker. Since it’s never about the camera, and all about the lighting and the posing (yes, even a natural looking pose is still created by a professional photographer’s guidance), most of these snapshots come out painfully awkward.

Here are the top 5 reasons that, in my opinion, we think we are not photogenic:

Reason #1. The “photographer”, AKA Smartphone camera button pusher, has no idea how to help you look your best – they place you in bad lighting and never mention your shirt has a big stain on it. Good luck with that!

Reason #2. This one goes deep. After years of reveal sessions with my clients sharing the proofs of their portrait session, I realized that many times – it’s not about the photo. It’s about the fact that we don’t accept ourselves. It has nothing to do with how you look and all to do with how you feel about yourself. For that I suggest that you do some deep soul searching before your portrait session. I am a huge believer in life coaching as it has fundamentally changed my life and made my life oh so much better in so many ways I could not have ever imagined was possible. After years of being life coached I learned to be a life coach myself and now offering the unique perspective of life coaching using photographs – you can read more about it in my life coaching website:

Reason #3. The last time you had your portrait taken you had zits – now you have wrinkles. Back to the fact that the camera does not lie, it sure does shows the changes time brings. I suggest you learn to embrace aging for two reasons: 1, if we are lucky, it happens to all of us – so there is no escaping it, may as well embrace it 2. Some of the most attractive people I photographed were NOT 15 with perfect skin. We are beautiful at any age, as long as we allow ourselves to be.

Reason #4. You are not comfortable in front of the camera. Well, really, why should you be? I mean, common, if you are in front of a camera you are about to get shot. Yes, this type of “shoot” is not going to kill you, but it sure sometimes sure feels like you are standing there naked with your soul at hand. It goes back to feeling confident and letting go of control, which is two of the hardest things for us to do as humans who live in such a critical society.

Reason#5. You have no idea how to pose. And the button pusher has no idea how to guide you. Or let you know that the way you stand makes you look really funny. Oy. Now that is painful to see.

In effort to break the photogenic myth, and in consideration of the fact that pretty much every 4 years old is a Smartphone photographer, I created this short video with 5 tips to help you get some great snapshots that you will LOVE – no matter who is capturing it! click here to watch, and please help me break the photogenic myth – share this blog post and video with anyone you ever heard saying “I am not photogenic”.

Want more posing tips? For the month of September 2018, I am offering the “I AM NOT PHOTOGENIC” studio portrait special. Come into the studio and let’s capture the best studio portrait you ever had! If you are the one always behind the camera (yes I am talking to you, mom) because you hate how you look in photos – remember that the holidays are around the corner – come into the studio for a family session this September and let me help you look your amazing self in your family portraits. As a “Thank you!” for booking the session you will receive an 11×14 mounted and framed portrait ready to go on your wall – because I KNOW you ARE photogenic! Use the CONTACT page on my website to request more info about “I AM NOT PHOTOGENIC” studio session – I look forward to showing you how photogenic you are.

The one thing that always happens before a photo shoot – and ALWAYS catches my clients by surprise – is the pre-photo shoot emotional meltdown they experience.

Usually it comes in the form of a text or an email the day before we are scheduled to photograph. My client is asking to reschedule. “The dog ate my homework” laundry list of excuses ranges from “I didn’t get a chance to get my hair done” to “I can’t make it tomorrow because I need an emergency eye surgery”.

When we talk some more, the truth always comes out.

They are scared.

Of course they are scared. Standing in front of a camera is one of the most vulnerable things you could ever do. It also involves trust – trusting the person who is photographing you that they will make you look good.

Not an easy emotional task, that’s for sure. Did you know that the Native Americans did not agree to be photographed? They believed a photograph captured their soul. I can see why they believed that. It kind of does.

As we all know – the camera doesn’t lie. In fact, it pretty much is all about “In your face, truth!”. Facts we like to tell ourselves little white lies about – like “I didn’t gain any weight in the past year”. Or: “I have a full head of hair and there is no bold spot up there”. Or my personal favorite white lie I tell myself: “My teeth are pearly white” – all these stories come crashing into the great wall of reality check before a photo shoot, as our mind realizes that after the photo shoot tomorrow there will be nowhere to hide from the truth any longer.

And so, the logical decision to make is – cancel the photo shoot. Forget it ever happened. And keep living a lie.

Or…

How about we consider what is behind door #2? Yes, it is scary; we don’t know what’s behind it. Yes, it means we will have to face the truth. But – and stay with me here even though you are already so uncomfortable just reading this –

How about you be vulnerable and trust the professional you hired?

To me, being a professional photographer doesn’t just mean I have the best photography equipment. It doesn’t just mean I know how to technically get a perfectly exposed capture.

Being a professional photographer means to me that I know how to capture my clients best self. I know how to bring out the sleeping beauty inside a woman who tells me she is not photogenic or the handsome man under the insecure fellow who walks into my studio.

And if we are photographing on location – in your location – be it your home or office or spaceship – part of my job is to make the space look good for the shoot. Being a professional photographer means to me that I know how to set up your location in a way that compliments the shot – and hides the mess and the dust bunnies – or the spaceship’s peeling paint job.

If you are reading this article, chances are you are one of my clients. So before you pick up the phone to text me that the dog ate your makeup/ tore your tie up and you just can’t make it to the photo shoot – read this carefully.

And remember – part of being a professional photographer means to me that I am here to talk you off the ledge. So if you still need to hear my voice explaining to you why your upcoming photo shoot is going to be one of the best life experiences you have ever had – call me.

Going to Vegas to create 10 branded lifestyle portraits as part of a Photo Marketing Strategy for some of Elite Marketing Pro‘s top clients during their No Excuses 8 Summit presented me with quite a challenge. How do I convince 10 strangers who never heard of me before to trust that I know how to create a branded engaging relevant photo for them to connect with their target audience?

Well, lucky for me, I like challenges. So it took some serious logistics, phone meetings across time zones (and one Skype meeting with Japan), but we came out to Vegas with a plan – and the relevant props – to help us create a branded lifestyle portrait THAT ROCKS! Here are some of my favorite shots from this non stop – running around – location scouting – dragging equipment – capturing some great shots.

And no, I don’t have any photos of how I was asked politely by a police officer to leave the property. Twice. During a photoshoot. What can I say – it happens to all photographers at one point or another. To some photographers more frequently than others, but we won’t get into that.

#WalkAMileInHerShoes was what I thought when hearing @Brandy Shaver’s “Why”. Why she is in the online marketing business, and how she got there. Immediately I thought of the location scouted earlier that day, and when we went there I placed her shoes – oldest to the newest pair (Brandy is carrying in her hand) in the spotlight the sun provided (thank you sun!). Here is a sneak peek from her #PhotoMarketingStrategy .

So…we were having SO MUCH fun on this #Photoshoot ! Vicki Sowa was sooooo surprised when that champagne bottle popped, I could not have planned her expression better! PERFECT for #branding her business tagline – Celebrate every moment! Here is a sneak peek from her #PhotoMarketingStrategy

Cary Gammon loves playing golf. He also loves helping people through his online business. We combined these two loves by writing Cary’s marketing cornerstones he teaches his clients – on golf balls. Here is a sneak peak of his #PhotoMarketingStrategy

In #PhotoMarketingStrategy it’s all about translating the brand’s background story into a compelling photo. With Ed & Brenda Zimbardi I got them to talk about the years they have been together, about their children and how they met – and soon enough they were smiling from the heart. Which was perfect – because everything they do is from the heart. Including running their business. See more about Ed and Brenda on their website here:http://edzimbardi.com/about-ed/

When Joe Petri explained to me the meaning behind his #SpartanResurgence concept, I knew he had to bring the shield he owns to our photo shoot in Vegas. And, as any good superhero would do – he brought it! Here is a sneak peek from our #PhotoMakretingStrategy photoshoot

For me, the biggest accomplishment in these photoshoots was not how great the shots turned out, or how accurately they represented these small businesses. Even though these two facts were highly important, of course. To me, what was most important is at the end of each photo shoot the client turned to me and said “This was fun!”. Most of them went from not really wanting to have their photo taken – to by the end of the photoshoot feeling they had a great experience.

And that, right there – is the magic powder that creates great photographs.

Here are some fun behind the scenes photos of our intense 10 back to back branded lifestyle photoshoots in Vegas. BTW, these shots were taken by my assistant – my wonderful boyfriend Mike who took time off his busy schedule to come out and help me, holding the reflector and dragging lights all over God’s creation. First time I ever had a pilot as my assistant…what can I say? I am a #LuckyGirl

You know these jokes that start with “how many men does it take to…”? This was all I could think about when Ron Ben-Zeev, the CEO of World Housing Solution was showing me around the warehouse. “Come here” he said as he was holding up a wall panel, “hold this”.

Ron Ben-Zeev, World Housing Solution CEO

I did, and was so surprised to feel the wall panel was so light. “That’s one of our advantages” said Ron, eyes sparkling with pride of his product, “these are so light any size soldier can carry and build these temporary housing units in any conditions”.

When I am hired to create a Photo Marketing Strategy for a company, first thing I do is listen and watch. I always say small businesses may not have big ROI in the first few years – but they all have a story to tell. A story of why they do what they do. And my first order of business is extracting that story from them and turning it into effective photographs that will engage their target audience.

When Ron told me the one thing that shocks his clients is how big the housing unit can be built, I wanted to use forced perspective to represent that. This is when I started playing with dolls – literally. Using toy military army men I created a scene in front of the biggest unit Ron had assembled in the warehouse to capture the story in one shot.

Another perspective to show how big the unit is presented itself from the top (after hanging on a side of a 63 story tower in a window cleaner’s basket to capture some good shots a few years back, climbing up to get this shot seemed like a fun ride)

We also wanted to show how the smaller units can be used for living quarters or as a war room

Back at the warehouse, as I was holding the wall panel up feeling how light it was, I was thinking about the scene from the movie Superman, when little superman was holding up the truck in front of shocked parents.

From the movie Sperman, your Superman holding the truck up

And right there and then I realized what was going to be THE shot for World Housing Solution’s Photo Marketing Strategy. I was even happier when we ended up with a little girl (girl power!) . The warehouse turned very quite when I walked our little model wearing her red cape under one of the wall panels (held up by her father on one side and Ron on the other side – removed in photoshop) and asked her to push her hand up and “hold the panel”. And we got THE shot – The one that tells World Housing Solution’s story in one shot.

Funny enough, I was the only real ex-soldier in the room (Israeli military). Ron’s temporary housing units have a warm spot on my heart since one of my long lasting memories I carry with me from my military days is of one night when I was in boot camp. We woke up in the middle of the night to find out a fierce storm took the tent away literally from over our heads. I don’t remember how many girls we were in that tent, but if you can imagine a group of young women chasing a tent in a pitch dark night as they are getting soaking wet – you can imagine what that felt like. And to top it off, once we got the tent back in place, climbing back into our now soaking wet sleeping bags was no picnic either. I can tell you for a fact – we would have been thrilled if we had the option to build one of Ron’s Temporary Housing Solutions!

To see Rinat’s 6-minute video why a Photo Marketing Strategy is so important CLICK HERE

Recently I went on a beach getaway. I was walking on the beach, enjoying the beautiful view, breathing in the smells of the fresh, clean Florida air, and enjoying the moment.

I was listening to the sound of the waves and the sea goals circling over my head when I realized I was hearing different languages spoken around me. I snapped out of my bubble and smiled as I recognized I was walking passed families speaking Russian, Japanese, Spanish and a few other languages I did not recognize. And then it hit me: everyone had a camera in their hands. They were all either taking pictures, or talking about the camera. I could tell some were frustrated; their photos were not turning out the way they envisioned. One couple I walked passed was speaking in English, and I heard the woman complain to the man “the camera is just not good enough”, she said as she sighed in sorrow. I looked the other way, wondering what they were all photographing. There was nothing there except the big blue ocean. The beautiful, living, breathing big blue ocean. The ocean all these people came to enjoy, and relax, and re-charge by. But they were not doing that. They were all keeping very busy clicking away, and were getting frustrated when they could not seem to be able to capture the essence of the moment.

One of the things I talk about when I teach is when NOT to photograph. In this day and age with the camera equipment is accessible to anyone and everyone, it seems no one is living in the moment any longer. We are either capturing photos to be able to see them in the FUTURE, or looking through photos we captured as we reflect on the PAST. And then we wonder why the NOW, this moment in time, just seems to flee us so quickly.

That morning on the beach, me – the professional photographer – was the only person without a camera in her hands. Of course I brought a camera with me to the beach. But with years of experience and technical knowledge I know when it’s worth it to actually pull out the camera. The camera does not control my life, it’s a tool I control to capture a few special moments that are worthy of my time, energy and thought put into capturing them for prosperity sake.

The rest of the time, I choose to live NOW. And this seems to become a fleeting concept in the past few years since the photography equipment has become affordable and available to all. When we don’t realize is how much this affordable, available, easy to use equipment is costing us in time and energy. Because it’s only a piece of equipment. Think about how an airplane can safely take off and land when it’s in the hands of an experienced pilot in what seems to be a smooth, effortless motion (but we all know very well it is not). A camera follows the same concept. You can whiteness a professional photographer capture a beautiful photograph in what seems to be an effortless motion. But the same camera can become a time and energy sucker, frustrating experience when it’s in your hands if you do not know how to use this tool.

My suggestion? Get busy living life, and not capturing it. When you get somewhere decide to capture only a couple of shots, and then put the camera away. As the pilot says when the airplane takes off: “Sit back – and enjoy the ride!”.

Because that’s what life is about. Here is to a 2017 filled with beautiful, happy, relaxing and energizing NOW moments!

To find out more about the Photo Coaching for photographers I offer, including the “8 Weeks to Photo Goal! ” program CLICK HERE

If you are an amateur photographer who just wants to learn how to get better pictures CONTACT ME for more information about the photography classes I offer

Year round, photography is my profession. I am always thankful for that fact, and that this is how I have been making a living for the past 17 years.But this time of year is when I reflect on what a miracle this is. Considering the fact that I never wanted to be a photographer. The only reason I took photography in college in the first place was because no other “real” classes were available my first semester in OSU. Who would have guessed that I would fall in love with this craft? That I would be lucky enough to capture life joys for clients in a way that would make them smile from the heart every time they look at these photos? That I would be able to reflect to people through my camera lens how beautiful they truly are, the beauty they just don’t see in themselves. Who would have guessed that I would have a box of tissues ready in my meeting room because every single one of my clients would shed happy tears looking through their wedding album for the first time?Not me. I would have never guessed. And what I learned so far is that if I have to choose between money and love – I would choose love every single time. Because money can’t manifest love, but love sure can manifest money, and so much more. I am living proof of that, serving clients whom I love, and they love me. Clients who come back year after year allowing me to document for them their life’s milestones. From calming down a nervous young man before he pops the question, as I am there to capture that moment, to the joy of capturing engagement photos, to looking into the eyes of a stressed bride right before she walks down the aisle, holding her hand, and reminding her that her best friend is waiting for her at the end of this walk. And seeing a smile of relief on her face as she realizes I am right.To sharing the joy of my client’sgetting pregnant, and capturing all the wonderful memories of their baby’s first year. To fun holiday family portraits as their family expands.To creating a photo marketing strategy for clients as they decide to take the plunge and start their small business. To sharing the joy of photography by teaching my clients how to take better pictures as we go on a group photo tour.To chasing my client’s beloved pets around the studio to capture their pet portrait, to be invited to photograph wedding anniversaries. And birthdays. And high school senior pictures.And this is just a partial list.

This time of year I feel that I am the luckiest woman in the world. Not having a family of my own at this point in my life, not being able to show off pictures of my children – I am SO proud to show off pictures of YOUR children that I photogrpahed!I am grateful that I’m invited to witness, be part of, and capture all these incredible life moments you live. Thank you for trusting me with capturing your precious moments.Becuase, to me – being your photographer, is nothing but a small miracle.Happy Everything!With love,Rinat

Please visit my WEBSITE to see the packages & pricing information for the different photography products and services I offer

When the Elite Marketing Pro group contacted me for a Photo Marketing Strategy I knew I was going to have a blast with this one – because they are such a great group of entrepreneur professionals who love pushing the envelope on a daily basis. For that same reason, I wanted to come up with a very cool concept for their group shot. But honestly, I had no idea what to do. And then, well, what can I say – it came to me in my dream. Seriously, I woke up, set up in bed, and said: “String phone!” And right there their group shot was created in my mind. This fun “tongue in cheek” concept was my interpretation of how they bring their message home providing international educational and mentoring programs that reach small business owners internationally. Needless to say – I was relieved when I presented the concept – and they loved it!

For the string phone shots I asked them to create string phones out of cups and strings. And then I posed the group, assigning a specific “task” to each person – and then asked them to let go and have fun. And oh did they ever. We got so many great shots, here is one of my favorites:

Photo by: Rinat Halon, All Rights Reserved

When I scouted the photo shoot location the day prior to the shoot I saw this awesome oversized lamp on the street, and knew that would make another great string phone shot. This time I had the group line up, and we got this great picture:

When we were done with the string phone, I asked the group to bring their working tools – laptops, tablets and smartphones, and took them to another location I scouted for this fun group shot:

And no photo shoot is complete without getting kicked out of a location. Well, that sculpture in front of the Orlando electric company was screaming to me “group shot here!!”

So we took the risk, and got some great shots before we were asked politely to leave the premises. And we politely left.

Before we were done I asked them where else they wanted to have their group photo taken. The hotel’s pool table was a unanimous choice, and at this point the group was having so much fun with this photo shoot, I didn’t need to give hardly any directions. So I set back, laughed, and clicked away

To learn more about Rinat Halon’s Photo Marketing Strategy and book your FREE consultation CLICK HERE

Hilary left the corporate world and started her own on-line business because she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom to her two daughters. That is also her business mission – to inspire and guide other moms to start a home based business so they can enjoy raising their children.

In Hilary’s Photo Marketing Strategy I wanted to show how her daughters are part of Hilary’s business culture. How they are right there next to her when she sits to work on her laptop at her desk at home.

I thought about how whenever I walk into an office in the corporate world, there is always a photo of a child on the desk, and that thought turned into the concept for this “virtual mom” Photo Marketing Strategy phtoshoot. When I presented the concept to Hilary she loved it, and we went to work.

Wanting to show her daughter’s in “picture frames” on Hilary’s work desk, I asked to connect with Hilary, who lives in Trinadet, via Skype. We did, and as the girls came and set next to their mom – I photographed my tablet screen’s Skype conversation.

When I met Hilary at a hotel here in Orlando where this busy mom was staying for a conference, she brought what I asked her to bring – some of her girl’s favorite toys and a bottle. I organized the toys around Hilary’s makeshift work desk in the hotel lobby, and strategically placed her tablet and phone between them, knowing I will later superimpose the girl’s snapshots from the Skype conversation into them, creating a “digital frame” in Hilary’s “office”.

In today’s virtual world, we do not have a set workplace any longer. We all work from anywhere. This fact, intertwined with this Photo Marketing Strategy concept depicts Hilary’s home based business mission statement perfectly and brings her message to market clearly.

To learn more about Rinat Halon’s Photo Marketing Strategy and book your FREE consultation CLICK HERE

Just as with any new client, the first thing I did with Ben was listen to him. I listened as he told me about what he does for a living, how much he loves it, and that he needed branded photographs for his online presence.

How do you do that? He asked me.

With the Marketing Mastery System (TM) I help small business’s just like Ben’s translate their message visually and take it to market in a way that connects to their target audience. Ben and I went through the Marketing Mastery System process and came up with a photo marketing strategy for him. Since we were confined to a specific location and time restraints, I used what we had around to build the scene

Ben works in coffee shops quite often so we transferred the hotel lobby into a coffee shop scene

Ben’s tag line is “I help you build a successful home business through social media” meant to me that he works on the go, and that’s what I wanted to show in Ben’s Photo Marketing Strategy – the motion he creates in his client’s life – through technology

I wanted to show the motion Ben creates in his client’s life, bringing the sense of movement through these still photos

Ben wanted a couple of headshots, but I turned him on lifestyle portraits instead. Using the hotel’s environment we got some great “headshots” – with the added value of color and interest

What I really wanted to show is how Ben comes to life in front of the camera and brings excitement and value when he goes live on FB. Using the traffic lights behind him and some technical adjustments I captured his great presence as he was speaking to his audience on FB live

To learn more about Rinat Halon’s Photo Marketing Strategy and book your FREE consultation CLICK HERE

When small business owners contact me for photos most of the time they don’t fully understand how I can help them get greater brand exposure using call to action photographs that are royalty free.

Its only when we start the Marketing Mastery System ™ process that they come to realize the sheer power of a great, relevant, original photograph, and how it can capture the attention of a target audience like nothing else can.

Beth, a Winter Park health coach, called me because she needed a new head shot – which is usually why a small business owner contacts me. During our phone consultation, as I was creating a Photo Marketing Strategy for Beth’s Blue Print 4 Health, Beth realized the value of the system beyond just getting a head shot, and she was all in.

“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” said the wizard in one of my all time favorite movies “The wizard of Oz”. Beth, in this case aka the wizard, is “behind the curtain” since she meets new clients virtually, not in person. I wanted to show a potential client what the person on the other side of the laptop/phone is like. Who is Beth, and why would they want to work with her.

A research in sociology shows that people are more comfortable in a place they visited before – hence why there are McDonald’s in Europe and Americans who travel thousands of miles to visit different cultures and are still happy to see the golden arches and eat the known, feels-like-home burger.

Since Beth’s clients don’t get to come to her home office, and since Beth practices what she preaches – a healthy lifestyle that is – I created snapshots of Beth’s health-inspiring life. Here are some of the photographs:

Now Beth has a Personalized Image Bank ™ , which she owns the rights to these photos fully, and can use them on her web site and social media to connect with her target audience on a personal level. After all, don’t we all want to know who we trust with our health?

For more information about the Photo Marketing Strategy ™ and to book a free consultation CLICK HERE